The fisherman was very unhappy. "What an unlucky man I am to have freed you! I implore you to spare my life."

Question

The fisherman was very unhappy. "What an unlucky man I am to have freed you! I implore you to spare my life."

"I have told you," said the genius, "that it is impossible. Choose quickly; you are wasting time."
The fisherman began to devise a plot.
"Since I must die," he said, "before I choose the manner of my death, I conjure you on your honour to tell me if you really were in that vase?"
"Yes, I was," answered the genius.
"I really cannot believe it," said the fisherman. "That vase could not contain one of your feet even, and how could your whole body go in? I cannot believe it unless I see you do the thing."
–“The Story of the Fisherman,”
Andrew Lang
How does the fisherman’s motivation move the plot forward?

Answer 1

The fisherman's motivation to question the genie about the reality of his imprisonment in the vase and to request a demonstration of how the genie could have fit inside the vase moves the plot forward by creating tension and suspense. This leads to the genie demonstrating his power by transforming into smoke and returning to the vase, which ultimately plays a key role in the resolution of the story. The fisherman's cleverness and skepticism ultimately lead to his survival and the resolution of his predicament.